Preface

Infectious diseases are a global public health priority due to the heavy burden they place on the healthcare system and the high costs of their management [1]. These diseases are caused by infection by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Therefore, it is important to prevent the spread of these microorganisms to reduce the transmission of infections from person to person. Among all the microorganisms, bacteria cause many common infections, such as pneumonia, sepsis, gonorrhea, and so on; however, not all bacteria are harmful. Controlling pathogenic bacterial infection is critical in preventing and reducing global human infection rates and mortality. Antibiotics are a group of lowmolecular-weight active antibacterial substances used to target bacterial infections for more than 70 years [2]. However, the abuse of antibiotics has led to the rapid rise of multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria, causing a paradigm shift in the relationships between antibiotics and bacterial–human relations [3]. In addition, bacteria can form biofilms consisting of surface-associated microbial cells with exopolysaccharides, extracellular DNA, proteins, and amyloidogenic proteins enclosed in an extracellular polymeric substance matrix [4, 5]. Various studies confirm that bacterial biofilms protect bacteria from harsh conditions and play critical roles in antibiotic resistance [6]. Although the role of biofilms in antibacterial resistance is complex, it is found that many human infections are biofilmmediated, and biofilms can significantly drive resistance. Therefore, it is important to understand biofilm formation and regulation to facilitate biofilms' rapid and effective eradication, which will further increase the prevention and control of bacterial infections in human beings. Over the past decade, a large amount of work has been conducted and reported in medical literature. However, due to the rapid progress in bacterial biofilms, there is a need to compile recent important works in a single volume. As such, we have published this book, *Recent Advances in Bacterial Biofilm Studies – Formation, Regulation, and Eradication in Human Infections.* This edited book contains chapters written by international teams of basic and clinical researchers. These chapters provide novel insights and advanced knowledge of bacterial biofilms in clinical settings for life science researchers, clinical researchers and doctors, and other interested readers. They aim to facilitate the understanding of bacterial biofilms and strengthen the importance of novel methods and technologies in the treatment of biofilm-related human infections. With the development of prevention, inhibition, and eradication methods of bacterial biofilms, the mortality rate of chronic and fatal bacterial infections is expected to be greatly reduced in the future.

Many people have contributed to this book. First, I would like to thank my Publishing Process Manager, Ms. Nina Miocevic, for her patience and expertise in assisting us throughout the publication process. I would also like to thank the Commissioning Editor, Ms. Sandra Bakic, for providing us with the opportunity to edit the book.

We also acknowledge the contributions of the production and typesetting teams for their professional services. We hope you enjoy reading this book as much as we have enjoyed writing it.

### **Liang Wang**

**References**

[1] Ikuta KS, Swetschinski LR, Robles Aguilar G, et al. Global mortality

[2] Uddin TM, Chakraborty AJ, Khusro A, et al. Antibiotic resistance in microbes: History, mechanisms, therapeutic strategies and future

Health. 2021;**14**:1750-1766

2019;**13**:327-343

Control. 2019;**8**

[3] Van Giau V, An SSA, Hulme J. Recent advances in the treatment of pathogenic infections using antibiotics and nano-drug delivery vehicles. Drug Design, Development and Therapy.

[4] Donlan RM. Biofilms: Microbial life on surfaces. Emerging Infectious

[5] Sharma D, Misba L, Khan AU. Antibiotics versus biofilm: an emerging battleground in microbial communities. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection

[6] Abebe GM. The role of bacterial biofilm in antibiotic resistance and food contamination. International Journal of

Microbiology. 2020;**2020**:1-10

Diseases. 2002;**8**:881-890

associated with 33 bacterial pathogens in 2019: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet. 2022;**400**:2221-2248

prospects. Journal of Infection and Public

Group Leader, Principal Investigator, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

#### **Bing Gu**

Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

#### **Li Zhang**

University of New South Wales (UNSW), Kensington, Australia

### **Zuobin Zhu**

 Associate Professor, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
